Clarion 1999-09-02 Vol. 75 No. 02

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Thursday, September!, 1999
Number 2
Tekautz
honored in
naming of
Heritage
Hall
By Sarah Aue
Editor-in-Chief
Clarion/Photo by Matt Lang
The new dorm whose
name appeared to be the
"278-bed Residence Hall"
for many months has finally
been given a name. Heritage
Hall was chosen for the
dorm where individuals will
be honored for their
servanthood and dedication
to the Bethel community.
Keith Tekautz, the
hardworking "Janitor for
Jesus" will be honored for
his 39 years of service at
Belhel. Along with being a
faithful worker, Tekautz supported the Royals athletic
teams by going to any games
he could fit in his schedule.
"He just eats, lives and
breathes Bethel," said Physical Plant co-worker Brian
Peterson.
Tekautz is not only
dedicated to the Bethel com-
munity, but he is also a
leader among his co-workers in Physical Plant. "It's
hard not to be energetic
when he is around," said Al
Monson, "He pushes you to
do more as you see him
working so hard."
Affectionately known
as "The Crusher," Tekautz is
rarely seen without a smile,
although you will almost always hear his booming
greeting first. These arc the
meaningful qualities that
students will remember as
they see his picture in the
lobby of Heritage Hall.
Conference ends with few answers
Mission statement and proposed amendment remain possible issues
By Christina Rankins
Managing Editor
The Baptist General Conference and the Bethel College
Board of Trustees held their annual meeting in St. Petersburg, Fl.
last June to discuss and vote on
various issues that will directly
affect the Bethel community.
High profile issues included the
proposed mission statement and
the proposed amendment to the
BGC's affirmation of faith.
Last semester, a committee
of faculty members and administrators worked to revise the Bethel
College mission statement in order to better meet North Central
Association's requirements for
accreditation. Revisions were presented at an open hearing in May,
and were considered at the conference in June.
No decision has been made
concerning the mission statement
or the revisions, but committee
members and other faculty and
staff will continue to examine it.
"We agreed that we need to keep
working on a concise way of telling other people what our mission
is," said Jay Barnes, Provost of
Academic Affairs. The board
agreed that the traditional student
population should continue to
draw from people who are of the
Christian faith, and that the Con-
Bethel
Clarion/Photo by Matt Lang
The school year is upon us again and with it, Welcome Week and the sleep-deprived Welcome Week
staff. In their bright red shirts, they took over "the Hill" and busily shuttled belongings to the
surprised freshmen's rooms . Senior Nate Stromberg calls out a car headed for Getsch while the
Welcome Weekers and RIOT leaders empty a car in the background.        Photo Spread on pages 6 & 7
Introducing Class of 2003 to Bethel
By Carin Larson
News Editor
Over 750 new faces will be
walking the halls of Bethel College this fall, eating in the Dining
Center for the first time and beginning their four year long email
addiction. The Class of 2003 has
arrived, bringing with it energy
and enthusiasm as it enters college and a new millennium.
"As we have interacted with
the new students during move-in
and have had other contacts with
them, every indication says that
they are equal and eager to begin,"
said Judy Moseman, Vice President of Student Life. "We are
delighted to gel to know them."
What is known of them so
far is sure to spark some interest.
One new freshman scored a perfect 36 on Ihe ACT test. Another
student owns and operates his
own web design business and one
Student is an evangelist and has
led crusades around the world.
When one throws in two dozen
valedictorians and a set of twins,
you have a unique Class of 2003
that holds a wealth of experience
to offer the Bethel community.
Welcome Week activities
encouraged the joining of the new
class with current members of the
community through core group
leaders and Taste of Bethel
booths, which introduced students
to many possible extracurricular
activities. During the Welcome
Week Kick-off, President
Bmshabcr called new students to
link arms with each other, staff
and faculty as all seek to become
women and men of God.
"Belhel is a place where we
want you to become wise and discerning and be filled with a sense
of values," Brushaber said. "Our
faith is al the heart of who we are
and what we do."
Of the 750 new students,
625 are freshman, 127 transfers,
and 37 re-admits. Two students
join Bethel as exchange students
from Daystar University in Kenya
and three others are international
students as well.
tinuing Studies population will
continue to draw from a broader
group. Board members will vote
on the revised statement in October.
In November 1998, the
Concerned Pastors of the BGC
presented a resolution to interpret
the BGC's affirmation of faith.
Last semester, they concluded that
they should propose an amendment to the affirmation rather than
a resolution, and in the spring they
debated the wording of the proposed amendment. At this year's
conference both the Concerned
Pastors of the BGC and the Committed Pastors of the BGC discussed the positives and negatives
of amending the affirmation of
faith.
Every staff and faculty
member reaffirms the statement
of faith when they sign their con-
continued on page 2
New addition
brings needed
space to the
Clauson Center
By Petra M. Wonders
StaffWmer
After a long wait, the
additions to both ends of the
Clauson Center (formerly the
Fine Arts building) are almost
complete. The addilons will
add 34,000 square feet to the
campus at a cost approximately 6.5 million dollars.
The additions will be
completed within the next few
weeks and will offer something for everyone. As the
Board of Trustees brought into
effect the official name of the
Clauson Center, students may
be noticing there is now much
more than fine arts in these
buildings.
While the departments
and offices previously found
in the Clauson Center (CC)
have had extensive remodeling and additions, there are
continued on page 3